What Students Learned From Emergency Remote Learning

For students around the nation, the pandemic-prompted shift to remote and online learning came with a blend of roadblocks and revelations.

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At some point between the first videobomber and the millionth cat walking across a laptop keyboard, referring to remote learning as “the new normal” became passé. Fast-forward to fall 2020, and university students and faculty around the nation have come to accept that, at least for now, normalcy is subjective.

In its place, higher education has discovered an unprecedented level of adaptability, with students and faculty determined to turn the sudden online transition into an opportunity to evolve.

Hoping to better understand how they were adjusting to the change, we asked a group of college interns from around the U.S. to share their insights and experiences with us in a series of online essays. Here are some highlights:

Other than it being harder to ask questions, there’s little difference between in-person and online lectures.”

Chloe Konrad

First-Year Student, University of Missouri

When COVID-19 stripped me of any coffee shop luxuries, I had to come up with creative ways to stay focused.”

Amrin Madhani

Senior, Texas State University

For future terms, I think students and faculty need to work together to address issues specific to each university.”

Victoria Balzer

Recent Graduate, Oregon State University

While we are making the most of being alone together, we should also be striving to find new ways of connecting to one another.”

Jackie Chis

Senior, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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